1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a detachable handle for containers and more specifically to a detachable handle that supports a paint container and a paint brush in any plurality of applications in a safe, ergonomically convenient, and economical manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A painter, whether a do-it-yourselfer or a professional tradesman has to carry around the room a container containing the paint material for considerable time periods in order to accomplish the task of cutting in the four walls of each room including base board trim or to finish paint wood trim or any form of decorative trim including finish painting of doors and window frames. While in some instances, the workman can set the paint can down during painting; in other situations such as touching up of numerous small areas which may be scattered around a room, a tradesman may desire to hold the paint can during painting.
To facilitate holding or transporting a paint can by a user, conventional one gallon paint containers are generally equipped with a semi-circular wire handle pivotally connected at respective ends to diametrically opposed outside surfaces of the one gallon paint container.
Since the weight of a full one gallon paint container is approximately eight pounds, manually holding a paint can by its wire handle during painting operations is uncomfortable as well as fatiguing as the narrow wire handle causes considerable localized stress on a user's curled fingers, especially when the one gallon paint container is full. More importantly, it is ergonomically unacceptable to expect a tradesman or do-it-yourselfer to hold in one hand, for considerable time periods, an eight pound gallon can in order to accomplish the cutting in of four walls of a room including base boards trim or to finish paint wood trim or any form of decorative trim including finish painting of doors or window frames.
Some users, in order to provide better access to a manually held paint can, will rotate the wire handle downwards from the upright position to near its storage position, and then curl their thumb of one hand over the wire handle and support the underside of the one gallon paint can with the fingers of that hand. This holding technique is also very uncomfortable as well as causes a great deal of muscle fatiguing in the hand supporting the paint container.
Because of this well known problem, the prior art is replete with detachable handles for use with a standard one gallon paint can. Very few of these prior art references give any consideration to the precarious terrain such as newly constructed homes as well as working on a ladder or a scaffold. Further, many of the prior art solutions to the well known problem completely disregard the ergonomic requirements of today's workplace, that is a completely efficient work system which results in improved productivity and employee satisfaction, health, safety, and commitment.
Some of the proposed solutions by the prior art to this well known problem propose ergonomic solutions to this problem but fail to take into consideration the extent of the problem especially to a professional painter or tradesman. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,520 to Niemeier discloses an ergonomic can carrier for allowing a person to transport and hold a container, such as a can of paint, in a comfortable fashion while simultaneously allowing ready access to the container contents with little likelihood of spillage. The invention includes a body, a first support component, and a handle. The first support component is connected to the body and operationally engages either the top or bottom of the container. The second support component is movably mounted to the body and shiftable between a retracted position and an operational position. When in the operational position, the second support component engages the other of the container top and bottom when the first support component operationally engages one of the container top and bottom to thereby hold the container therebetween. The handle extends from the body and is ergonomically structured and arranged relative to the body to be graspable within a hand of the apparatus user while the container is held in a generally upright orientation between the first and second support components to prevent spillage of the spillable material through the container top opening.
Although the Niemeier ergonomic can carrier may provide some ergonomic considerations, its shortcomings are clearly recognizable. The invention avoids carrying the eight pound paint can by the wire handle or bail but the weight of the contents of the one gallon paint can exceeds an acceptable safe weight for long term carrying of the device in one hand while doing touch-ups. Also, how do you safely handle this device on a ladder or scaffold since the paint can, can no longer sit on a flat surface with the ergonomic handle attached thereto.
Sawdey, U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,152 also proposes an ergonomic carrying device for transporting containers containing materials such as paint. Again, such carrier is completely unsuitable for a painting professional in the performance of his normal job activities for the same reasons as stated above. Lastly, the ergonomic paint can holder disclosed by Bohne et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,304 is nothing more than a lightweight plastic structurally reinforced can holder to hold a partially filled paint can that is used for trimming out walls and ceilings. No consideration was given to using the holder while standing on a ladder or scaffold.
While the devices of the prior art may be suitable for the specific purposes which they address, they are not suitable for use in today's workplace. Accordingly, there is a great need for a hand-held container for use by a professional painter or tradesman that may be easily and safely gripped without the need for making adjustments, that maintains a substantially vertical position regardless of the position of the painter, i.e., bending position, climbing a ladder, or that requires the user to utilize one hand to hold the container while climbing a ladder or reaching to cover a hard to access surface which needs coverage, i.e., overhangs, under eaves, etc.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an ergonomically convenient, light weight, comfortable, efficient, and economical device for carrying, holding, and transferring liquids such as paint. In addition, such new device requires a convenient and secure resting place for a paint brush, as will become apparent from the description that follows.